My BEAUTYCOUNTER Obsession – Safer Skincare & Better Beauty

Posted on August 23, 2016

When I was a teen my mom told me the #1 most important beauty secret was to moisturize. “This will prevent wrinkles from forming, and keep your skin young – which is easier than trying to reverse aging!” She said. Like all immortal 16yo I ignored her wise advice. It wasn’t until a few years ago, when I adopted a natural beauty routine and noticed my mom’s skin seemed to be better than mine – even at her age – I realized I should have listened sooner.

I was using coconut oil as my daily moisturizer, and frankly the residue left on my skin after removing my makeup wasn’t quite cutting it. At the time I tried a bunch of different solutions and decided a face balm made of Shea butter and fermented cod liver oil was my safest and best bet. So I put it on every night before bed. And while my skin did improve, the stuff was nasty. My poor husband…

And to make matters worse, while my overall skin improved, my forehead wrinkles were getting worse. That’s what drove me to look for something else recently; I’m turning 35 this year, and I don’t want to look it!

I’m happy to report my beauty routine has kept me young –
compare these portraits- taken about 20 years apart!

So I started looking for something that could still be good for me and my skin, while also reducing wrinkles. My research told me about Countertime, a line of products made by Beautycounter. I was hesitant to jump on the bandwagon. A couple of my friends were using and loving this new brand of safer skincare & better beauty products that wasn’t around years ago when I first went “natural”. It was pricey, but supposedly the same quality as department store without the toxic ingredients. “It’s my face, if there’s a place to splurge in the budget – this is it.” So I tried the restorative day and night cream.

Yo.
I wouldn’t be telling you this.
I wouldn’t have signed up to work with the brand.I wouldn’t be obsessed if it weren’t for the results.

Within 30 days my wrinkles were fading. Seriously. This one above my eyebrow was starting to form a deep line and now it’s just a soft line. My big grooves across the forehead are shorter and more shallow (although they still exist, this IS real life). And best of all, my face became even more resistant to adult acne. My SUPER sensitive skin that always rejects everything was HAPPY.

Best of all, it didn’t smell like dead fish! For years I’d been putting on a cream that was the opposite of sexy every night. While I was mindful of the timing of when I’d put it on, I’d be lying to you if I said that my previous face cream hadn’t prevented a few make-out sessions with my hubby – it made for some awkward smooch sessions. And when I traveled I always ruined my hosts pillows with my stinky, oily face.

News flash – this new line is totes normal!

Beautycounter products smell and feel lovely. My skin feels sexy again. And Matt even noticed a couple of days in, “Are you wearing perfume? You smell different.” “Me, I’m using a moisturizing face cream in the AM. You don’t or do like the fragrance in it?” “Oh, I do!” *elicit grown-up married stuff ensues*

I had read about this brand. [Info on ingredients, results of people who use products HERE]. But honestly it all sounded like hype. I’m here to tell you it’s not. You know we are always REAL with you all. We’re into using real products, eating real food, and being open and honest with everyone – always. It’s why we’re going to be re-branding the blog to “Real Everything” in the near future. So it with sincerity that I tell you, I wouldn’t be promoting a product if I didn’t REALLY love and use it myself! In this case – I even tested it for 6 weeks before giving it a green light!

Remember when we went to Universal last month?
My kids used the Protect Sunscreen stick on their own faces everyday and never got sunburned!
When we use lotion or spray they FREAK OUT, but they don’t mind the stick at all ♥

What I Bought

I fell so in love with the moisturizing creams (and the results on my skin) that I ordered (yep, I PAID FOR out of my own pocket) and tried all of the following:

That’s it. I am thrilled to have completely replaced my entire routine with products that are deemed “safe” by the EWG! Next up, switching over all the boys’ stuff!

I legit was resistant to change my beauty routine because a) I liked what I was using, and b) it didn’t seem real. But thankfully I was pushed into trying them by friends and now there is NO turning back! I LOVE how it looks, feels & tastes – but even better, it’s good for me! Honestly I LOVE the lip glosses MORE than my Sephora brands because they TASTE LIKE CHOCOLATE! I’ve been a Sephora VIP member for years, I spend so much there they put me in a special club. It feels bizare to be changing a habit I’ve had my whole life – but after weeks/months of using the products, I’m ready to officially let go of the toxic addiction and embrace a better beauty routine.

Here’s the thing – yes, I absolutely still keep the healthy nutrient-dense lifestyle I’ve always promoted. Excessive Vital Proteins collagen consumption also helps my skin, hair and nails healthy. But I want to embrace putting products on the outside of my body that are just as nourishing and non-toxic for me as the foods I put inside.

Why TODAY is the DAY to try it yourself!

And I can’t wait to tell you more about my favorite products, why I love them, and how to use them in future posts & reviews. But I needed to get the information out there immediately because TODAY and TOMORROW ONLY (8/23-24/16) you can get a FREE MASCARA ($29 value) with a purchase of $75 or more on ANY BeautyCounter products!

If you want an EVEN BETTER DEAL, if you sign up for the Band of Beauty membership (customer loyalty program) today you’ll get even MORE promotion deals! For $25 for an annual membership (less than the cost of the free mascara) as part of a qualify order you’ll ALSO get:

It’s VERY rare there is a promotional deal of a freebie AND the new member Band of Beauty deals are ALSO included. I certainly wish I’d been able to get this deal when I started trying out their products months ago! If I were going to suggest for you to try something, it would be:

Of course, you can buy ANY combination of ANY products totaling over $75 for the deal today and tomorrow, but if you’re struggling on what to choose that is a combo I LOVE.

Mascara + Band of Beauty + 15% back + FREE shipping = $168+ value for $25 cost of membership, not even including the future free shipping and promotion deals you will also get for a year! I’d HIGHLY recommend taking advantage if you’ve been thinking about trying Beautycounter. Get the details and take advantage of the offer now by following the instructions HERE (free mascara only valid 8/23-24/16)

More info on Better Beauty & Safer Skincare

If you still need more convincing on why what you put on the outside of your body is just as important as what you put inside it, here’s a couple of recent articles to read:

Teenage Girls Chemical Exposure: New study shows that after just 3 days of using makeup, shampoos and lotions free of hormone-disrupting chemicals, levels dropped up to 45 percent.

Is Your Lipstick Bad for You?European officials have restricted or banned more than 1,300 chemicals and groups of chemicals, experts say; the F.D.A. has prohibited 11 ingredients

And here is why I love Beautycounter – while they aren’t a 100% crunchy granola all-natural brand, they use only top quality ingredients, ensure they are non-toxic, and make the following commitment:

I think I’ve spammed you with enough for you to understand that I’ve become personally passionate about safer skincare and better beauty products. For now… Look forward to lots of upcoming posts and announcements from us as we launch “Real Everything” – a new blog that introduces you to all facets of who we are: Real Food | Real Talk | Real Life. We will begin a new history and information based podcast by Matt & Cole, blog posts on de-bunking truths and myths floating around in our community, and more real food recipes – from the way our family now eats after 6 years of Paleo living!

Mom of 3 boys, she's often found wearing a bearded dragon as an accessory while wrangling cats and pulling boys off each other before wrestling turns deadly. An executive in her day job and the creative force behind the blog in the night, her passions range from nutrient-dense anti-inflammatory approach to healing with lifestyle to body love and self-respect. Join her soap-box rants on the syndicated top-rated podcast, The Paleo View or Strong Woman Radio.

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I’m so excited Vital Proteins Beef Liver Capsules are back in stock because these are one supplement I take DAILY. When I don’t take them for 3-4 days, my hair starts to fall out, which I assume is thyroid-related. Beef liver is so incredibly nutrient-dense and these are an easy and tasteless way to enjoy it!

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